Airbus warns of fraud probe damage despite profits leap

Work on an Airbus A380 plane inside the Air France KLM maintenance hangar at Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport
Reuters/Philippe Wojazer

European aircraft-builder Airbus announced a leap in profits in the third quarter of 2017 but warned that its financial performance could take a hit from corruption investigations in France and Britain.

"The investigations initiated by the UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and France's Parquet National Financier (PNF)... could have a material impact on the financial statements, business and operations of Airbus," a statement released Tuesday said.

But it added that it was too early to determine the likelihood or extent" of any damage.

The Toulouse-based company is being investigated in France and Britain for alleged irregularities concerning third-party consultants that the company itself detected and reported to the authorities.

It is also under investigation in Austria and Germany for possible corruption related to the sale of Eurofighter jets to Austria.